Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. An apparatus comprising: a memory; timer circuitry to implement a plurality of active timers, the timers implemented as link lists including data structures stored at the memory; timer access circuitry operating autonomous to the timer circuitry, the timer access circuitry to access the timer circuitry and provide an application interface, the application interface comprising: an input interface configured to enable configuration of a future time window; and a report interface configured to produce a report in response to a query, the report identifying a first sub-set of the plurality of active timers set to expire during the configured future time window, and to store the report at the memory, the stored report accessible by a software application, the software application to perform quality of service verification based on the stored report and to regulate initiation of processes based on the quality of service verification.
An apparatus manages timers. It includes a memory and timer circuitry that maintains multiple active timers as linked lists of data structures. Timer access circuitry operates independently of the core timer logic. This circuitry provides an application interface with an input to configure a future time window. In response to a query, the interface creates a report that identifies timers expiring within that window and stores it in memory. A software application can then access this report to perform quality of service (QoS) verification and regulate processes accordingly, ensuring actions are taken based on the timers and their scheduled expirations.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the timer access circuitry is configured to access the timer circuitry autonomously, responsive to configuration of the future time window, to obtain, as an uninterrupted sequence, information for at least each of the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers.
The timer access circuitry from the apparatus described previously automatically gets information about the timers expiring within the configured future time window. This access happens as a single, uninterrupted sequence of operations. This ensures consistent and efficient retrieval of timer data without being interrupted by other processes or timer updates, improving accuracy of the quality of service report.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising processing circuitry configured to process the information obtained by the timer access circuitry from the timer circuitry to produce the report.
The apparatus described previously includes processing circuitry. This circuitry takes the information obtained by the timer access circuitry and processes it to generate the report. The processing refines the raw timer data into a usable format for the software application that performs quality of service (QoS) verification.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to filter the information obtained by the timer access circuitry from the timer circuitry to produce the report.
The processing circuitry from the apparatus described above further filters the timer information obtained by the timer access circuitry. This filtering process reduces the amount of data included in the final report by removing irrelevant or redundant information, improving report clarity and efficiency.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to produce the report by filtering information obtained by the timer access circuitry from a second sub-set of the plurality of active timers that expire during the configured future time window, to obtain information for the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers that expire during the configured future time window.
The processing circuitry from the apparatus described previously creates the report by filtering information obtained from a second set of active timers that expire during the configured future time window. This filtering process identifies the first subset of active timers that are actually needed for the final report. By examining a broader set and filtering, the accuracy of timer selection is increased.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the filtering is based on identifying timers that the an application has permission to access.
The filtering process described above is based on identifying timers that a specific application has permission to access. This ensures that the application only receives information about timers that are relevant to its operation and that it is authorized to interact with. This permission-based access control mechanism enhances the security and integrity of timer data.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of active timers are configured to expire at programmed future points in time.
In the apparatus described previously, the active timers are configured to expire at programmed future points in time. This means that each timer is set to trigger an event or action at a specific time in the future, allowing the apparatus to schedule and manage tasks according to precise timing requirements.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the input interface is further configured to enable configuration of query attributes; and wherein the report interface is configured to produce the report relating to the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers that satisfy the query attributes.
The input interface of the apparatus can be configured to allow the configuration of query attributes. The report interface produces reports based on the subset of active timers that meet these query attributes. This allows software to filter based on specific timer characteristics.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the report relating to the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers comprises at least an indication of a timer expiration time for each of the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers.
The report generated by the apparatus includes an indication of the expiration time for each timer in the first subset of active timers. This provides the software application with the crucial information needed to determine when each timer will expire and to take appropriate action based on the expiration time.
10. An apparatus as claimed claim 1 , wherein the report relating to the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers additionally comprises, for each of the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers, one or more timer attributes that determine a consequence of timer expiry.
The report produced by the apparatus includes both the timer expiration time and one or more timer attributes that determine the consequence of timer expiry, for each timer in the subset. These attributes describe what happens when the timer expires, such as triggering a specific process or sending a notification.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the report interface is configured to store the report relating to the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers as one or more data structures in one or more accessible memory spaces at the memory.
The report interface stores the report relating to the first subset of active timers as one or more data structures in accessible memory spaces. The report is organized and stored in a way that can be easily accessed and processed by the software application, ensuring efficient data retrieval and utilization for quality of service (QoS) verification.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , comprising: a single-timer query system comprising: a single-timer query interface configured to receive a single-timer query; single-timer access circuitry configured to access a single timer of a plurality of timers; and a single-timer report interface configured to produce a report relating to only the accessed single timer, and a multiple-timer query system comprising: the input interface configured as a multiple-timer query interface configured to receive a multiple-timer query that configures a future time window; multiple timer access circuitry configured to access at least the first sub-set of the plurality of timers; the report interface, configured as a multiple-timer report interface, configured to produce a report relating to the first sub-set of the plurality of active timers that expire at programmed times, wherein the first sub-set of the plurality active timers are predicted to expire during the configured future time window.
The apparatus includes two timer query systems: a single-timer query system and a multiple-timer query system. The single-timer system has an interface to receive a query, circuitry to access one timer, and an interface to report on just that timer. The multiple-timer system uses the existing input interface to configure a future time window, circuitry to access a subset of timers, and the existing report interface to report on timers set to expire during that window.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising one or more additional multiple-timer query systems, each comprising: a multiple-timer query interface configured to receive a multiple-timer query that configures a future time window; multiple timer access circuitry configured to access a sub-set of the plurality of timers that expire at programmed future points in time, during the future time window; and a multiple-timer report interface, configured to produce a report relating to the sub-set of the plurality of active timers that are predicted to expire at programmed future points in time, during the future time window.
The apparatus described above can have additional multiple-timer query systems. Each system has an interface to receive a query that configures a time window, access circuitry for a subset of timers expiring during that window, and a report interface for timers predicted to expire in the window. This enables multiple parallel queries against different timer subsets.
14. An apparatus comprising: a memory; timer circuitry to implement a plurality of active timers, the timers implemented as link lists including data structures stored at the memory; timer access circuitry operating autonomous to the timer circuitry, the timer access circuitry to access the timer circuitry and provide an application interface, the application interface comprising: a single-timer query system comprising: a single-timer query interface configured to receive a single-timer query; single timer access circuitry configured to access a single timer of a plurality of timers; and a single-timer report interface configured to produce a report relating to only the accessed single timer and store the report at the memory, the stored report accessible by a software application; and a multiple-timer query system comprising: a multiple-timer query interface configured to receive a multiple-timer query, the multiple-timer query including configuration of a future time window; multiple timer access circuitry configured to access the plurality of timers; and a multiple-timer report interface configured to produce a report in response to a query, the report identifying a first sub-set of the plurality of active timers set to expire during the future time window, and to store the report at the memory, the stored report accessible by a software application, the software application to perform quality of service verification based on the stored report and to regulate initiation of processes based on the quality of service verification.
The apparatus manages timers using two systems: a single-timer query system and a multiple-timer query system. The single-timer system includes an interface for single-timer queries, access circuitry for a single timer, and a report interface for only that timer, with the report stored for software access. The multiple-timer system includes an interface for queries with a future time window, access circuitry for all timers, and a report interface for timers expiring during that window, stored for QoS verification and process regulation. Timers are stored as linked lists of data structures.
15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , configured as an integrated circuit.
The apparatus as previously described that manages timers using single and multiple timer query systems is implemented as an integrated circuit.
16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , configured as a hardware accelerator that provides a timer manager for millions of timers.
The apparatus as previously described that manages timers using single and multiple timer query systems is a hardware accelerator that efficiently manages millions of timers. This hardware acceleration enables high-performance timer management for demanding applications.
17. A method comprising: maintaining a plurality of active timers, the timers implemented as link lists including data structures stored at a memory; receiving, at an application interface operating autonomous to the plurality of active timers, configuration information specifying a future time window, the configuration information received via an input interface provided by timer access circuitry; producing a report identifying a first sub-set of the plurality of active timers set to expire during the configured future time window; and storing the report at the memory, the stored report accessible by a software application using the application interface, the software application to perform quality of service verification based on the stored report and to regulate initiation of processes based on the quality of service verification.
A method involves maintaining active timers, stored as linked lists, receiving a future time window configuration through an interface operating independently of the timers. A report is then produced, identifying timers expiring during that window. This report is stored and made accessible to a software application that uses it for quality of service verification and to regulate processes, ensuring actions are timed correctly.
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December 12, 2017
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